Name: Grilled Corn Salad with Feta & Lime
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 ears corn (husks removed); 1 Tbsp olive oil (for corn); 8 oz feta (cubed); 1 jalapeno (finely chopped); 6 basil leaves (finely chopped); 3 Tbsp greek yogurt (sub. mayo); 2 limes (juiced); 2 tsp honey; ½ tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp sea salt

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This grilled corn salad is the side dish I make all summer long! Charred corn, cubed feta, a little jalapeño heat, and fresh basil tossed in a light lime and greek yogurt dressing. It comes together in about 20 minutes, no oven required, and it's the kind of thing you throw on the grill right alongside steak, chicken, or fish. It's tangy, fresh, and just creamy enough. A side dish that's basically built for backyard dinners!

A close-up of a salad featuring yellow corn kernels, cubes of white cheese, fresh herbs, and a creamy dressing, with a metal spoon visible in a wooden bowl.

Basil and grilled, not roasted

Most corn salads reach straight for cilantro and lean hard into Mexican street corn. I went a different way. Basil keeps this one feeling summery and fresh instead of taco-night, and that one swap is what makes the salad its own thing. It's the kind of flavor that belongs next to a grilled steak on a warm evening, not in a tortilla.

A woman with long red hair, wearing a brown sweater and jeans, smiles while standing in a modern kitchen beside a counter with fresh lettuce and hibachi steak bowls. Marble backsplash and gold kitchen accents are visible in the background.

And I grill the corn instead of roasting it for a reason. It's casual, it gets you that smoky char, and, let's be honest, nobody wants to turn the oven on in July. The bonus is that the grill's already hot, so you cook your corn, pull it off, and throw your steak or chicken on right behind it. Dinner basically makes itself.

A person sits cross-legged in a meditation pose with their hands resting on their knees, peacefully imagining delicious hibachi steak bowls. The simple black outline contrasts against a white background.

Wait! Before you light the grill, let's build the whole plate. This salad was made to sit next to my grilled lamp chops or my turkey burgers, hot off the grates. And if you want one more fresh side in the mix, my strawberry fields salad keeps the spread cool and summery.

Grilled Corn Salad Ingredients

Corn - fresh ears, grilled until they've got good char.
Feta - I cube it instead of crumbling. Cubes hold their shape and you get actual bites of salty, creamy feta instead of it dissolving into the dressing. Crumbles work if that's what you've got, but they won't last as long in the bowl. I use a full 8 oz here, this is a feta-forward salad and I'm not apologizing for it.
Jalapeño - seeds out, finely chopped. That gives you a subtle background heat, not a burn. If you're feeding kids, see my note below.
Basil - fresh, finely chopped.
Greek yogurt - my default over mayo. It keeps the dressing tangy and light, and it sneaks in a little extra protein while it's at it. Use plain, unsweetened. Mayo works if you'd rather, but I genuinely prefer the yogurt here.
Lime, honey, garlic powder, sea salt - the rest of the dressing ingredients.

How to Make Grilled Corn Salad

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions for this recipe are in the recipe card below.

Four ears of corn on the cob are grilling on a barbecue, with visible char marks on the yellow kernels. — **Step 1** : Grill the corn until toasty.

A close-up of a bowl containing diced white cheese, kernels of yellow corn, and chopped green herbs and peppers, all ready to be mixed together. — **Step 2** : Add the salad ingredients to large bowl.

A glass with a creamy white mixture and a spoon inside sits on a wooden surface next to a halved lime. — **Step 3** : Make the dressing.

A bowl of corn salad with cubes of white cheese, yellow corn kernels, fresh herbs, and a creamy dressing, served in a shallow beige dish on a wooden table. — **Step 4** : Toss the corn salad with the dressing and dig in!

Ansley's Tips

Chill it before serving. The dressing starts out on the thinner side but give the salad an hour in the fridge and it thickens up and clings to every kernel. Chilled is honestly how I like it best. So if you can, make it ahead.
Cube the feta. Big cubes hold up in the bowl and through leftovers far better than crumbles.
Make it kid-friendly. My kids ate this happily once I pulled the jalapeño pieces out of their portions — easy to do if you scoop theirs out before the heat goes in, or just fish the bits out.

What to serve it with

This is a side that gets along with everything, which is half the reason I make it so often. Since the grill's already going, it's a natural next to a cast iron beef tenderloin. That's how my husband ate it, with a grilled steak, and he was sold. It's just as good alongside grilled BBQ chicken kabobs or a piece of salmon. For a full summer spread, I'll set it next to my watermelon salad with feta and mint and call it a cookout.

Check out these recipes for more summer-filled vibes

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